This week was packed with a great mix of legal research, writing and hands-on learning.
On Monday, I attended the Summer Associate Program motion practice seminar, which provided valuable insight into effective motion advocacy. I also drafted a mediation summary and continued working on a Daubert motion, giving me another opportunity to strengthen my legal research and writing skills.
On Tuesday, I continued making progress on the Daubert motion and mediation summaries. I also attended an initial meeting with a client, our expert, my mentor Renee Duffy and partner Rob Blank. It was a valuable opportunity to observe the questions attorneys ask during the early stages of litigation and how they begin developing case strategy.
Wednesday was exciting because I attended the deposition of a fact witness with attorney Paulina Jacobs. Watching the deposition unfold and seeing how Paulina adapted her questioning based on the witness’s responses gave me a deeper appreciation for the deposition process. I also drafted a motion to overrule a plaintiff’s objection to non-party discovery, began working on CME summaries and outlined my argument for the upcoming motion practice workshop.
On Thursday, I joined Renee for an inspection with one of our experts, where we learned about tires and the retreading process. Seeing the technical aspects of the inspection firsthand helped me better understand how expert testimony supports litigation. After returning to the office, I prepared a summary of the inspection and continued practicing my motion argument.
The week concluded with the motion practice workshop, where I argued my motion before partners Samantha Duke and Steve Klein. Steve served as opposing counsel, giving me the opportunity to present a rebuttal and think on my feet. I enjoyed seeing the differences between motion practice and my experience on my law school’s moot court board. The workshop strengthened my confidence in oral advocacy and was a rewarding way to apply everything I had been working on throughout the week.
I also updated a mediation report for a client and attended an expert witness deposition with Paulina Jacobs and partner Carie Hall, making for another busy and rewarding finish to the week.
